How to make future plans when the future is uncertain.

It's difficult to plan for life after lockdown, and this could one of the things contributing to people's sense of futility and frustration.

Will we be able to go to see that play, that festival, that concert, that match or any of the other social outings we previously accepted as part of normal life?

We can't make plans that we don't know will exist. How enormously frustrating, and how grossly unfair. They even take away our daydreams.

Planning for a future we can't determine can add to the feeling of isolation. But there are two things we can do to feel more in control now.

We can plan ways to connect with friends and family right now. And we can practice gratitude forecasting. If we're struggling with the present we can look at how grateful we will feel when life progresses.

I can look forward to enjoying coffee with my friend in her (much nicer) garden. I can look forward to a Sunday lunch around a table with my parents and siblings. Imagining the taste of  my mum's roast potatoes or the strange interrupting 'meow' of my friend's cat (he sounds like a petrol lawnmower in peril) - these little details make these things very real and very comforting.

The lockdown has reminded us of the things we truly miss. The thought of freedom can be teasing when we don't know its limitations. So limit your frustration and remind yourself of the things you will truly savour. 

And remember, that play/concert/festival was probably filled with annoyances you've chosen to forget along the way (festival loo's anyone?!).